In a state dominated by corn and soybeans, backers of local markets are pushing to attract growers of fruits, vegetables and other specialty products. There are more than 350 farmers markets in Illinois, compared with 280 five years ago and fewer than 100 in 2000, according to state figures.

Springfield has four with the addition of a west side market this summer.

“Chicago is driving the local food trend because of the population base,” said Pat Stieren, executive director of the Illinois Farmers Market Association. “About half of the markets are now in Chicago and Cook County.

“There is a real need for more farmers,” Stieren said.

One of the association’s strategies, she said, is expansion of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program purchases at farmers markets. The federally funded SNAP program, formerly known as food stamps, aids low-income families with food costs.

Stieren said only about one-third of farmers markets participate in SNAP. She said Springfield is among the markets where the program has worked well after some initial resistance. SNAP recipients purchase tokens that are exchanged for products.

Vendors submit the tokens at the end of the selling day to local market managers, who handle the processing.

“Otherwise, farmers have to have their own machine,” Stieren said.

Making the rounds

Grower Ken Knoles has made three farmers market stops a week for years — two in Springfield and one in Urbana — with plants from Knoles Garden & Greenhouse in Mason City, about 40 miles north of Springfield.

Knoles has other invitations, he said Wednesday at the Old Capitol Farmers Market in downtown Springfield. The options have expanded dramatically, Knoles said, from when he began selling through farmers markets more than four decades ago.

“I can only do so much,” he said, “and if I’m at the farmers markets, I’m not getting things done back at the greenhouse.”

Numbers can be difficult to track when it comes to farmers markets, especially for smaller markets, said Kendra Schilling, manager of the bureau of marketing and promotions at the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

She said 350 is down some from 2013 as a result of markets that closed or merged, but the demand for locally grown foods has continued to increase.

Numbers fluctuate year to year, Schilling said, but have mostly remained on the rise. Selling at farmers markets also is a major investment, she said.

“A lot of people like to start small,” Schilling said.

Labor intensive

Vegetable sales totaled $168.5 million in Illinois in 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, while sales of fruits and nuts totaled $26.3 million. By comparison, corn produced $10.6 billion in sales and soybeans $5.4 billion.

Page 2 of 2 - The challenge, said program director Lindsay Record of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, is to find a niche for produce in the expanse of corn and soybeans. The alliance promotes local food production and sustainable agriculture.

“You drive down the highway, you don’t see big fields of melons and tomatoes,” Record said. “It’s slow growth. Farmers have to make the choice.”

Consumer demand for fresh produce has driven the increase in farmers markets, she said, including increased sales through supermarket chains. Noting the four farmers markets in Springfield, Record said she still sees room for growth.

“Farmers markets are very labor intensive,” Record said. “Part of the challenge is finding the right market.”